Kidnapped!
by Newclear
Summary: The sequel to Touch of an Angel, my first story...
1. Tobi's A Good Boy

Kidnapped!

Prologue

Akatsuki Base

"This is truly disappointing…"

Pain felt the cold edge in Madara's voice as he said this. He felt that he should say something, but he knew better. Interrupting Madara was incurring Hell's wrath.

So he kept his silence.

"Nagato, what should you do to…alleviate my disappointment?" asked Tobi.

"I…"

"You should do what I say, Nagato…"

Pain had long disliked Tobi/Madara, but his hatred had bubbled up from the depths of his soul as Madara insulted him.

"I suggest that we invade Konoha, and take him, by force…after all, six Pains, could probably level Konoha, no?" Madara said.

Pain was about to answer, when suddenly…

"How about, instead of trying to destroy Konoha to capture The Kyuubi, why not have him come to us?"

Pain turned, and saw that it was Zetsu who had spoken, which half…was unclear.

"Instead of wasting precious time and energy trying to destroy Konoha, luring him in would be far more efficient…" said White Zetsu.

Madara was silent behind the mask, but after a while, he spoke once more…

"Alright, Zetsu…who should we take?"

"I would suggest those closest to him, especially those who might need protecting…such as his fiancée, or a teammate perhaps?" replied White Zetsu.

Madara thought about it for a bit, and then replied…

"Okay, we will set your plan in motion, Zetsu, I've waited years to destroy Konoha, I can wait a few more days…

Pain was feeling that, for the first time, his motives were not aligned with Madara's…

End of Prologue


	2. Soar

Soar

That night was cool, a bit chilly; it reminded her of the night a few months ago, as she ran home in night's cold embrace…

Hinata walked to the gates of Konoha with a smile on her face, the chill did nothing to stem her joy.

The Glade awaited her, and she knew that Remiel was waiting for her…

They had been going steady for a month and a half now, and in-between missions, they went to the Glade to do things in private.

The first time they did it in the glade, she was kind of nervous, and she felt afraid, but as time passed, she grew to like it, and at times, looked forward to it…

It gave her an incentive to finish the mission her team was assigned to…

And now, as she stealthily made her way through the forest, the prospect of Remiel waiting for her there with that childish smile on his face, made her look forward to it all the more…

At that moment, in the forest glade, Remiel was gazing at his golden locket, a gift from a past life, from his dead beloved…

He tried to remember the details, but his mind kept them under lock and key…

_No use raising up forgotten ghosts…_he mused.

_That was a full life… _he thought to himself.

_This is a better life…_ answered a voice in the recesses of his mind.

_At least here, you get the girl…_ continued the voice

"Good evening!" a voice greeted cheerily.

He turned around, and saw Hinata standing there, puffing slightly but still looking cheerful.

"Good evening too, Hinata-hime, my princess…" he replied.

Hinata blushed slightly at the added honorific, and giggled a little.

"Oh stop it, Kenshin-kun, you flatter me so…" she smiled as she said this.

"So, Hinata, are you ready?" Remiel asked, a smile starting to form on his face,

_He really looks good without that mask…_ she thought to herself.

"Is there something on my face?" Remiel's voice broke her reverie.

"Oh, uhm, nothing…nothing, Kenshin-kun, yes, yes I am…" she replied.

She walked toward Remiel, and looped her arms around his neck, and clasped her right wrist with her left hand.

"You grabbed on tight?" Remiel asked, getting a nod in response.

He unfolded his four white wings, and beat them in unison, making them rise into the night sky.

Hinata had never flown before, but the moment she and Kenshin had left the ground, she felt like she was at peace, with the world, with everyone…

She gazed out from behind Remiel, and saw a familiar sight, a sight she saw every time she was with Remiel…

The sky, the brilliant night sky, studded with diamonds, sparkling just for them.

Remiel suddenly gave a great burst of speed, and they were flying through the sky upward in a thermal, that carried them up to a lofty group of clouds.

He grouped some of the clouds using the drafts from his wings, and alighted on them.

"Uh…Kenshin-kun, I don't that thing is solid enough to sit on…" murmured Hinata.

"Trust me…" he smiled to her in reply.

He alighted on the clouds, and set Hinata on one gently…

"Ohhh, it's so soft!!!" she exclaimed.

Remiel only smiled at her in reply, and gazed at the moon, a solemn orb on night's canvas.

"Hey Hinata, how about we go somewhere else, somewhere away from the noise of Konoha, somewhere like the…" he said while he continued to gaze at the night sky.

His face suddenly light up, and then he said,

"…Like the moon!" he suddenly exclaimed.

"The moon?!?" replied Hinata, a shocked look on her face.

"Come on!!!" he scooped her up in his arms, unfolded his wings, and set in a great burst of speed toward the moon.

End of Ch. 2


	3. Solitude, Or The Kidnapping!

Solitude

Hinata had heard that the moon was a dead place, a place where nothing could live. So when Kenshin had flown straight toward it at top speed, she just closed her eyes.

Kenshin completed his handseal, and muttered in a low voice…

"Summoning Jutsu! Divine Gate, Luna!"

A white door appeared just above him, and he flew straight through it onto the moon's desolate landscape.

As Hinata closed her eyes, she heard Kenshin whisper before he entered the gate…

"Take a deep breath…"

She took a breath, and when she opened her eyes, she found herself gazing out onto the milky white landscape of the Moon.

"Wind Style, Sphere of Air…Okay, you can breathe in now." He said.

Hinata breathed in, and now knew that she was right. The moon was as desolate and as empty as she thought, but…here, she felt a peace. Here, it was silent, no noise, just serenity.

"Wow, I didn't know it was so…peaceful here." She said. Kenshin only nodded, trying to keep the silence absolute.

"This is my Solitude. The peace I long for when I'm at turmoil. Here, I can hear myself think, and I know that here, where my mind is at its clearest, I feel emotion at its height. I remember things long forgotten, some good, some bad." The last words, he punctuated each with a shake of his head.

"Now, Hinata, I give my Solitude to you. Whenever your soul is caught in life's tempest, you can come here. But know this. The Divine Gate jutsu only works when you can see the place you want to go to. It works in closed spaces, but it requires an enormous amount of chakra, and incredible focus to do so. We Angels have near-infinite reserves, much like Naruto, so we do this with ease. But I sense a will in you, an angel's will, and you can master this technique…now, I give it to you."

He ran his thumb vertically then horizontally across Hinata's forehead. The places that Kenshin touched glowed, and it traced a white cross on her forehead, and it slowly dissipated into her skin.

"You now have the technique, use it well, my Hinata-hime" he said.

"You treat me so well, Kenshin-kun…" she replied.

"You know that so long as I am here, you will always be in good hands." He smiled.

"But what if we were separated?"

"If I'm not there, in spirit I'll be there…" he assured her.

They took a moment to take in the Moon's blissful silence. They then took each other's hand, and shared a passionate kiss. They felt the love of the other pass into each other. Their hearts leapt at the emotions coursing through them, and enjoyed that one long kiss. No one jeered, no one teased, no one spied on them. Here, they had privacy, from the world.

They broke from the kiss, and then Kenshin said…

"Before we go, I want to show you something…"

He pointed to the glimmering black sky, and Hinata saw the Earth, a blue marble in the blackness of space.

"It's beautiful…"

"A real pearl, isn't she? But as I like to say, things are far more interesting at ground level, and on that note, let's go back. Time requires you to go home…" He said as he looped his arms over her shoulders.

He completed his handseals, and said in a loud voice…

"Summoning Jutsu! Divine Gate, Hyuuga House!" he said.

The white door appeared again, and beyond the doors, Hinata saw her house. The rooms were not lit, looking more abandoned than ever.

As Remiel gazed at her house, something tugged at the back of his mind…

Something was off.

Hinata started to walk through the door, and feels a grip on her arm. Remiel pulled her close and said…

"There's something that's not right…Be careful, and watch yourself…" he warned.

He let go, and flashed her a smile that reassured her. She walked through the gate.

It's a curious sensation, being transported from the moon to the Earth. Hinata felt like she became fluid, almost flowing through the portal. She suddenly found herself in front of her house, and felt the stillness of the night surrounding her.

She slowly walked to her house, and then she felt was Kenshin was talking about.

She smelt something…earthy.

Then, thick vines shot out of the ground, and wrapped around her form. She activated her Byakugan, and saw something emerging from the ground.

"You can turn that off, I know you can see me, Hyuuga-child…" the figure said.

She turned it off, and found herself face-to-face with Zetsu of the Akatsuki.

"Now, Hyuuga-child, sleep…"

"Sleep deep…"

The vines suddenly grew lumps, and then, as Hinata watched, the lumps burst open, and blue spores flew out. Hinata's eyelids felt heavy, and then, she fell to darkness.

Few Hours Ago

Sakura felt that she had taught Naruto a lesson.

_Imagine!_ She thought. _That pervert spies in on me while I was taking a dip!_

She had given Naruto a beating he wouldn't soon forget.

_Oh, not for a long time…_

She had reached her apartment, when she smelt…dirt.

The ground burst open, and vines wrapped themselves around her. She felt them growing tighter…suffocating her…

She lost consciousness, claimed by blackness…


	4. Divided Minds

Divided Minds

Zetsu, the one man team of Akatsuki.

They hardly got along, but they worked together to achieve the organization's goals. But now, White Zetsu felt troubled. His partner was growing increasingly distracted, hesitant, and often zoned out.

Then, there were the dreams…

As Zetsu slept, they were divided, free to roam their dreamworld at their leisure.

But this was the first time White Zetsu, often dreaming about the reason he joined the Akatsuki…

_Land…_

But this was different…

It was always about the forest, a forest carved by the moonlight. The forest was empty, save one.

A lone figure stood in the center of the forest, lit by the moonlight, his long hair flowing in a slow wind.

His lean form still, as if basking in the moonlight. His yellow eyes glowing, casting a yellow pallor on his chest.

He suddenly looks up, and looks right at him. He looks surprised, but the look of surprise quickly melted into anger.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING HERE?!? THIS IS MY FOREST!!!"

And then, he would wake up, but his half still asleep, but with a look of utter annoyance etched onto his sleeping face.

And in the morning, his half would not talk to him, nor even look at him.

They had never gotten along very well, but this was different.

Either Black Zetsu had lost it, or he was taking over…

The prisoners are still asleep…

They should make it to the Hideout by morning…


	5. Interlude

Interlude

"So, Zetsu has the bait, but the question is, will he bite?" asked Tobi.

"Maybe, maybe not… but we still need guards to watch them…" replied Pain.

Madara thought for a while, but he suddenly lit up and said…

"I have just the guardsmen…" he said.

Pain's brow was furrowed with confusion…

"Who?"

Pain couldn't see it, but he could feel Madara smiling under his mask…

"The watchful eyes, of a hawk…"

End of Ch. 5


	6. Distress

What They Say

They say that when a loved one is in trouble, you feel some sort of unease in your heart.

A gut feeling, if you will…

And as Remiel, known as Kenshin Arashi, was walking to the Hyuuga Residence, he couldn't shake that feeling in the back of his mind…

He had a box of cinnamon buns in his right hand, and had an apple in another, an apple so red, it looked like blood.

He bit into it as he walked, that unease only growing as he approached the house. At the door, he put down the box to knock, but something was stuck on the door.

It was a note, stuck to the door with a kunai.

It said…

I have taken the Girl.

If you wish to retrieve her, look for an odd flower, in a forest clearing…

To make sure that you hurry…

I have taken the liberty of injecting poison into her veins…

You have at least three hours…

Don't Dawdle…

With a speed developed through years of training, he pulled out two scrolls; colored red and green out of his bag in a fluid motion, unfurled the both of them, and bit his thumb.

He tasted the coppery tang of his blood in his mouth, but he simply ignored it, as he ran his thumb over them, and watched the blood trace a dark red line across them both.

Suddenly, in a large puff of smoke, his two teammates, Agni and Rudra, stood in front of him, arms crossed.

"This better be important, Rem, I was in the middle of diggin' into a nice hot bowl of ramen when ya' summoned me!" Agni, known as Totetsu answered.

"What is it, Remy?" Rudra, known as the ever polite Kohryu to the citizens of Konoha, asked.

"Someone's taken Hinata!" exclaimed Remiel.

"Someone's taken Sakura!" Naruto exclaimed as he barged into the Hokage's Office.

"What part of 'wait until called for' do you not understand, Naruto?" said The Fifth Hokage, Madam Tsunade, without looking up from her papers.

"Granma Tsunade! Please authorize a mission to-"

"-Retrieve Hinata!" said a voice from behind Naruto.

"Wha…"

And there stood Kenshin, along with his teammates, Kohryu and Totetsu. Kenshin was wearing his mask today, along with a black jacket that had a popped collar, while Totetsu wore a vest that had a sleeve covering his left arm, and Kohryu simply wore a Kimono cut off above the abdomen, and black leggings with three white lines on the sides.

"Can none of you understand English?!?" yelled Tsunade.

"Hinata's missing?" asked Naruto.

"No, she's at home asleep…of course she's missing! I wouldn't file a request to go search for her, would I?" replied Kenshin.

Naruto turned and simply continued talking.

"Sakura's missing, and I request permission for a mission to retrieve Sakura-"

"And Hinata."

Naruto shot a look of pure venom straight at Kenshin.

"WILL YOU QUIT BUTTING IN?!?"

"Will you let me finish?!?"

"WILL ALL OF YOU JUST SHUT UP!?!"

The two boys turned and saw that it was Tsunade had spoken.

"You!" she said as she pointed to Remiel.

"are going with him…" she then pointed to Naruto.

A few moments of silence passed, and then…

"WHAT?!?" they said in unison.

"You're both looking for someone, right? You'll finish faster working together." Tsunade replied.

"No offence, Hokage-sama, but we work best alone..." reasoned Kenshin.

"HE'LL ONLY DRAG ME DOWN!!!" yelled Naruto.

"Shut your trap, both of you!!!" said Tsunade.

The both of them fell silent at once.

"You two are going together! But you'll have to have another teammate to make a three-man team…" Tsunade continued.

"I'll go." said a voice from behind them.

Kiba pushed aside Totetsu, getting a growl in return from Totetsu. "Why you?" growled Totetsu.

"Because, I got Hinata's scent down, hell, I can find her anywhere, I can follow her scent, but I just don't know where it's going…" he replied.

Kenshin thought for a moment…

Then, he nodded to himself, and then turned to Kiba…

"Okay, you're on."


	7. Deus Ex Machina

Deus Ex Machina

The forest was quiet today, no animals screeching their greetings to one another.

Kiba sniffed the air astride Akamaru, who was doing his share of tracking.

Kiba suddenly stopped sniffing the air, and bowed his head.

He was silent for a while, and then he said…

"Over there, that way." He said as he pointed to a path to the right.

"Her scent is strong this way."

Kenshin only nodded, while Naruto remained doubtful.

"Hey! What about Sakura, huh? We're supposed to look for her too!" yelled Naruto.

"Relax, you hyperactive brat, I smell that pink-haired nag along this way too…" replied Kiba.

Naruto crossed his arms, and then realized what Kiba had called him…

"WHO YOU CALLING A HYPERACTIVE BRAT?!?"

Kiba just smiled at him, an impudent smile that only angered Naruto further.

"WHAT'RE YOU SMILING ABOUT…YOU LITTLE MUTT?!?" shouted Naruto.

After that, more shouting ensued.

"LITTLE MUTT?!? THAT THE BEST YOU CAN DO?"

"DON'T WORRY, MUTT! I GOT LOADS MORE!!!"

Then, the fistfight started…

Fist flew through the air like homing missiles straight at each other. And then…

"ENOUGH!!!"

And the two immediately stopped fighting to see who had spoken. Naruto was in the middle of putting Kiba in a chokehold while Akamaru's fangs were lodged into Naruto's rear end.

It was Kenshin, hand on the forehead of his mask.

"I don't have time for your petty squabbles…we only have but 11 and a half hours to reach the both of them, so please, quit your childish behavior and focus on looking for her!!!" said Kenshin.

The two were silent for a while, and then Kiba spoke up…

"Uhm…don't you mean 'them'?"

"Right, them…sorry…" replied Kenshin.

"Hey, Kenshin, it's not that easy…It's not like following a gingerbread trail, me and Akamaru have to sort through the other scents of the things in this forest, and that's a lot…"

"Yeah hotshot, it's not we have a clue telling us where we're supposed to go…" added Naruto, arms outstretched in a what-can-you-do expression.

Suddenly, a white envelope fell from the sky onto Naruto's right hand. Naruto looked as if his right hand had just vanished.

"W-Where did that come from?!?" he stammered.

Kenshin bent down to pick it up, and read what was written on the back of the envelope.

It said, in large letters written by typewriter..

This Is A Deus Ex Machina

Kenshin turned it over, broke the seal, and read its contents…

It said…

Rem…

Head northwest.

There is a cave, you must remove three seals to open the hideout.

Don't exaggerate.

You have at least 11 hours, 46 minutes, and 34 seconds till the poison reaches her heart and kills her.

Don't worry.

You'll get there.

You will face the talons of the hawk.

Be prepared.

For the first…just chill.

Break the Bonds,

Det. Fedora.

P.S. My reason for this letter?

Mercy.

Deus Ex Machina

Kenshin folded the letter and put it in his jacket pocket. He was silent for a few moments.

"God from the machine…" he muttered under his breath.

"Well, what's it say?" the two of them said in unison.

"We head…northwest" he said to the two of them.

"Are you sure?" said Kiba. "Her scent is going this way…" he said as he pointed to the path he pointed to earlier.

"The letter told me." replied Kenshin

Kiba looked incredulous.

"Right, the letter told you. And we're supposed to trust a letter that fell from the sky?" he said.

"How do you know that whoever took her wasn't using that path to mislead any trackers, hmm?" replied Kenshin.

Kenshin bit his thumb, and said,

"Summoning Jutsu! Gate of the Watchful Eye!"

In a puff of smoke, two large stone silver eyes, marked 1 and 2, suddenly appeared, and flew off to two directions: Northwest, and down the path Kiba was pointing at.

They flew off, leaving some kind of grey mist in their wake.

Two doors shot out of the ground. As they watched the doors, it looked like a movie camera zooming through the forest.

To Naruto, it looked like a movie screen, and wondered what movie it was.

As Naruto went through the lineup of the movies he had ever seen, Kiba, somewhat quicker on the uptake, had realized what they were looking at.

It was live feed from the two eyes.

The eye marked 1 went to the path that Kenshin said. It kept going till it reached a large stone wall, and directly in the center of the door, was a large boulder, that seemed to block a large cave, and on its surface were three seals, all placed with perfect placement.

Eye #2 kept going, and reached a clearing, and there, as clear as day, were two strips of cloth, red and purple, tied onto a dead stump of a tree.

"Well?" said Remiel.

Kiba watched as the camera slowly reversed, all the way back to them, and then the doors slowly sank into the ground, and the last thing he saw in them was his own dumbstruck face.

"Alright, northwest it is…"


	8. Boss Battle: Mist Heir

Kidnapped!  
1st Boss: Mist Heir

"Summoning Jutsu! Divine Gate, Cave, Northwest."

A large stone door shot straight out of the ground with a rumble. The great door opened, and in it was the blocked cave shown by Eye #1.

"Well, what're we waiting for? Let's go!" said Naruto.

Naruto jumped straight into the door, while Kiba and Kenshin walked in after him.

Kiba felt like he had walked into a wall of ice, it felt like he was dead already.

"Hey, Kenshin! Come on!" yelled Naruto.

Kiba nosed the air around him, as did Akamaru.

"Yep, their scents are real clear round here."

Kenshin only smiled under his mask.

"Getting in won't be that easy and if my guess is correct, we'll have company…"

Inside.

"Three of them, all male, one of them is rubbish, but the other two are phenomenally strong, both have loads of chakra reserves, and one seems to be the one we're waiting for…"

Sasuke only nodded.

"But-"

"But what?" said Sasuke.

"The other one…I don't know…his chakra is…differe-."

And with that, Karin suddenly stopped dead in her tracks.

"The other one, he knows I can see him."

Sasuke looked straight into the large boulder blocking the cave mouth. He looked back to Karin, and saw that there was a small trickle of blood under her left nostril.

She suddenly collapsed, her limp form on the cold cave floor.

"Well…since Jugo's all calm and shit, looks like I'll be the one to do the fighting…" said a figure to Sasuke's left.

He stood up; screwed in the handle his blade, performed the handseals, and melted instantly into the floor.

Now all alone, Sasuke found himself questioning why he took the order to guard the prisoners.

_With Madara, you don't have much of a choice… _he mused.

Outside.

"She's out."

"What're you talking about?" asked Naruto.

He turned to Naruto, and saw that the eye slits for Kenshin's mask, usually covered by a light blue windscreen, was open, and saw that Kenshin's eyes were a shade of gold, where his pupil should be, was a kekkei genkai, in the shape of a black typhoon.

It reminded him of the Sharingan.

"What the-"

Immediately after Naruto said that, the blue screen lowered and covered his eyes once more.

"Uh, sorry you had to see that, I just had a strange feeling…"

He looked back to the massive boulder again.

"-That someone was watching us…"

Naruto looked at Kenshin with squinted eyes, then back at the large rock, then he simply shrugged and looked for something to do while waiting.

"Hey, so what're we going to do about the seals?" asked Kiba.

Kenshin pulled out the letter from his pocket, and was shocked that it had changed.

It now said….

Rem,

You face the First Boss, Mist Heir.

Again, chill.

Round 1…

Fight!

"What the…"

Then a voice rang out from his right…

"HEY GUYS! I FOUND SOME WATER HERE!"

Kiba immediately rushed over to Naruto, invigorated by the prospect of drinking cool, clear water.

Kenshin pondered on the letter's words, and then, he flipped it over…

His eyes lit up with sudden realization as he saw what was written on the back of the letter.

"KIBA! NARUTO! NO, DON'T!!!"

Almost as if on cue, Kiba burst out of the forest like a living missile, rocketing straight into a tree, propelled by water.

The water suddenly took form, and took on a human shape. And from it stepped a figure, wielding a massive sword.

"My name is Suigetsu Houzuki, the Heir of The Mist Swordsmen!" he said as he brandished his massive sword, Decapitating Carving Knife, using his Great Water Arm Jutsu to wield better.

He took a swing at Kenshin, aiming for his head…


	9. Conclusion

Round 1

Kenshin immediately ducked, the edge missing his head by mere inches. The blade went on to cut through several trees.

Each slash, each stab, Kenshin avoided, adding only to Suigetsu's frustration.

"Dammit! How am I supposed to cut you to ribbons if…you..WON'T…KEEP…STILL?!?"

Kenshin replied,

"That's the point, isn't it?"

He weaved and dodged every slice aimed at him with an almost inhuman speed.

But he knew, that every minute he spent fighting this dick, the poison comes a minute closer to Hinata's heart, closer to bringing her to the black abyss…

He was wasting time.

Suigetsu was getting pissed.

He wasn't used to opponents just dodging him. He was used to instantly feeling his blade cut through flesh and bone.

This jackass was different.

Karin was right.

This guy, whoever he was, was something else…

Suigetsu was just slashing wildly now, trying to hit him, trying to luck out.

CLANG!

He lucked out.

_Bullseye..._He thought

Kenshin felt a large something slam into the side of his head with the force of a bus, full throttle.

The impact sent him to his knees. He felt where it hit, and found a groove worn deep into his mask.

"Shit." He muttered

"Gotcha." muttered Suigetsu.

"You know, not many have the courage to fight me. But I gotta admit, you got balls." He boasted.

He raised the blade over his head, executioner style.

"May I have the pleasure of knowing the name of the man whose name I will carve on your gravestone? Or should I just put in, Fool?" he said as he smiled a wicked grin.

Unbeknownst to him, the lower portion of Kenshin's mask had receded, and he bit his thumbs, masking it by pretending to double over in pain.

_It has to be convincing…_he thought.

He moaned.

_Hope it works, hope he doesn't wonder why I'm clutching my stomach in pain, when he hit me in the head…_

"Yeah, that's it, scream and moan with your last breath." Suigetsu taunted.

He put his palms on the ground, assuming the all-fours again.

He knew that Suigetsu would bring down the knife with the force of a guillotine, but he still needed time…

"Now, prepare to meet your-You BASTARD!!!" he suddenly yelled.

Even with death hovering above him, Kenshin couldn't help but wonder about the sudden outburst…

"YOU DENTED THE DECAPITATING CARVING KNIFE!!! YOU ASSHOLE!!!"

Ah.

Suigetsu was mortified. A large crack, spanning the edge of the blade, almost to the hilt marred the knife. He was speechless.

He used the momentary distraction of his opponent to do what he had to do.

"SUMMONING JUTSU! KINDRED BLADE! RUDRA OF THE GALE!"

He slammed his palms onto the ground, and pulled from it a large light green knife, designed with swirls, depicting the wind, and the largest swirl, near its hilt, was outfitted with a large shining green gemstone.

Suigetsu readied his blade for another strike.

Suigetsu was fast, but Kenshin, was faster…

"Wind Release! Arctic Gale!"

Suigetsu pulled back his arm, and prepared to run Kenshin through like a stuck pig.

Kenshin slashed, and a blue-green wave of air emanated from the blade's edge, and rushed straight at Suigetsu.

Suigetsu, realizing what the blue-green wave was, put all of his strength behind the blade, and tried to nail Kenshin with a last blow.

The wave hit first.

Suigetsu felt his joints slowly stiffen, and then, stopped working completely.

Kenshin watched as the blade came about an inch from his face, as Suigetsu froze right in front of him.

"Chill, huh? Fedora, you bastard…" he mused.

He walked over to Suigetsu's side, and tried to work the DCK free.

After a few tries, he finally pulled it out, to Suigetsu's chagrin, expressed in his animal-like grunts.

"Don't worry, you'll be back before you know it…"

He stood there, channeling all of his chakra into the blade, and, when the blade was almost glowing red-hot, he threw the blade right at the massive boulder.

The blade flew through the air, and when it struck, a wave of chakra flowed over the boulder, and with each wave, the seals glowed. When they glowed a shining white, the blade gave one more wave, and destroyed the three seals, leaving nothing left of them but scraps of paper.

He approached the blade, and gave it one, good push.

It shattered the boulder, and the force of the shattered boulder was enough to send the blade flying out of Kenshin's grasp.

The blade then blew out of the rock, and lodged itself directly into Suigetsu's arm.

"ARRRGHHH!!!" said a fuming Suigetsu, slightly muffled, of course.

"Heh, told you…"

Kenshin pulled out the letter, expecting it had changed.

He was right.

Rem,

Nicely done,

But you face the vengeful orphan next.

Dig up his dead, and know their words…

Break the bonds…

Det. Fedora

He folded the letter, and walked into the opening…

"I told you this fight would be better…"

"It was boring."

"Screw you."

Zetsu was once again, conflicted.

He stood, a few metres away from the fight, watching.

"Naruto and Konan seemed to be more exciting…" said White Zetsu.

"Shut up! This one was far more interesting." replied Black Zetsu.

"Come on, you killjoy. We have to alert the brat…" said WZ.

And they melded into the ground, and were seen no more.


	10. Into The Abyss

Into the Abyss

He had advanced a air distance into the cave, when he felt a hand grab his shoulder.

"AGGHHHH! Shit!"

He turned, and it was only Naruto, bleeding from a cut on his right cheek. He had Kiba's limp arm draped over his shoulders.

"Hey, someone's jumpy today…" he remarked.

"Now help me carry this idiot."

Kenshin had shrugged off his previous anxiety, and took one of Kiba's arms, and draped it over his shoulders.

"Thanks." said Naruto.

It was quiet inside the cave.

Dead quiet.

Like a sealed tomb.

"So, who were you up against?" asked Kenshin, to break the silence.

"Konan, I expected her to go all out on me, but she just threw some shurikens at me, and told me to hurry up, said the door was open. Cut me up pretty bad too." He said as he gingerly touched the cut on his cheek.

It stung.

"Ah!" he grimaced.

"If it hurts quit touching it!" yelled Kenshin, his repeated by the cave walls.

"So, how 'bout you? Who'd you fight?"

Kenshin thought for a while, the name hovering somewhere in his head, and then, he had it.

"Some dick named Suigetsu Hozuki."

The name obviously held some significance to Naruto, as he suddenly stopped in his tracks, a look of shock on his face.

"Suigetsu, isn't that a member of Sa-uhm, Team Hawk?" muttered Naruto.

He almost said Sasuke's team, but he bit his tongue. He still wasn't sure whether Suigetsu was just acting alone, hell, what made him so sure that Sasuke was even here?

Kenshin knew that something weighed heavily on Naruto's mind.

_Leave him be,_ he thought to himself.

_I too, have things on my mind…_ he mused.

What things, however, he never got to think about, as something crashed straight through the ceiling above them.

"SHIT!"

A few seconds were left before whatever's coming straight at them.

Kenshin pushed the two of them forward, and steeled himself for the impact.

"Rasengan!!!" a yell erupted from behind him.

Naruto leapt into the air, and rammed his glowing palm, ball of chakra included, right into the attacker's abdomen.

The spinning motion that the Rasengan created cleared the dust, and it revealed Jugo in full cursed seal level 2. A large spiral was bored into his abdomen, his eyes were closed, but they were fluttering.

_Good, he's still with us…_ he thought to himself.

"You go on." said Naruto, breaking his reverie.

"I'll take care of this dipshit when he wakes…"

Kenshin just nodded, and knew that the future he lived in once, before he died, would rest on the fate of this young lad…

He ran, not looking back, straight into the great black maw, and like a long-lost lover, covered him in its ink-black embrace.

End of Ch.10


	11. Arashi VS Uchiha

Arashi vs. Uchiha

A lone figure, bathed in white, stood in the gloom.

"You're not Naruto." It said.

Kenshin said nothing, but tightened his grip on his blades. He steeled himself for the battle to come.

"If I were you, I would leave, now." It continued.

"My quarrel is not with you…"

Kenshin kept walking toward him.

The figure faced him, and an electric current raged through his body, arcs of lightning jumping across his skin.

"I told you to leave."

Electricity played across his fingers, and it slowly formed into a single senbon.

"Now, die!"

He threw the white-hot needle at him, and it struck the forehead of Kenshin's mask, and dissipated across his mask like a white wave.

"Interesting." muttered Sasuke (of course it was him).

Kenshin suddenly spoke, in a flat, disinterested tone as he approached him.

"You wear their coat with such pride, don't you, Sasuke?"

Kenshin slowly watched his sword start to glow white. Those arcs leaped from his left arm onto his sword, and where they struck, the steel glowed.

_That's not good…._ He thought to himself.

Sasuke then turned to face him.

"What right do you have to judge me?" he asked, and as Kenshin watched, he saw the eyes slowly turned red.

"I have every right to judge what you do, even now, as you plan to destroy Konoha, the village that sought to protect you, and the people she bears within her…" Kenshin replied.

Sasuke faced him fully, his eyes bearing the pride of the Uchiha clan, the Sharingan Eye.

Kenshin gripped his blades, and prepared for the inevitable strike.

"Shut up!" yelled Sasuke.

He lunged, blade cocked for a piercing strike. He aimed directly for his heart.

Suffice to say, it didn't hit the mark…

Kenshin had moved Rudra directly into the blade's path.

Sasuke already knew the outcome of this, and kept the blade going.

Metal struck metal, and sparks flew. The electric glow of Sasuke's sword vanished as it dissipated once more across the edge of Rudra.

"Impossible…" muttered Sasuke.

"Around me, you start believing the impossible…" smiled Kenshin under his mask.

And once more, the swordfight resumed.

The two fighters weaved a web of steel around each other, their swords singing their iron song.

Whenever Sasuke slashed, Kenshin parried effortlessly, while Sasuke could only avoid his strikes through his Sharingan. And Sasuke could predict Kenshin's moves to a limited degree, and Kenshin could not easily strike him.

A deadlock.

After a while, they stopped.

"You're good…" huffed Kenshin.

"…for a pussy."

At that, Sasuke formed a few handseals. And almost immediately after that, the air felt like it was getting faster, not hotter…_faster._

All of a sudden, arcs of electricity went in all directions, and struck every part of Kenshin's body. A white-hot wire ran straight through his veins.

He felt weak in the knees, but knew he had to hold on, he had to keep fighting…

As Sasuke was unloading the whole brunt of Chidori Nagashi on his opponent, he knew this time, there was no escape.

"Who you calling a pussy?!?"

Chidori Nagashi was essentially a wide-scale Chidori. It projected the electrical properties of the Chidori outside of his body and onto the environment.

And right now, Kenshin was feeling its full power being unloaded onto him.

Sasuke saw something different in his opponent's eyes. It was turning a luminous gold…

He stopped Chidori Nagashi, and focused his chakra back into his blade, Chidori making it glow.

"That's it…Uchiha." said Kenshin in a cold voice.

"The gloves come off…" he said and grabbed his mask, and flung it aside.

Sasuke could now see his opponent's face. His rather sharp features gave him a hard, battle-weary look. And the eyes, they glowed a shining gold.

And as Sasuke could see, they had markings on his iris similar to a tempest.

Like his own Sharingan…

"Let's rock!" said Kenshin as he charged straight at Sasuke.

"Don't you know that charging at me won't work?" said Sasuke, mockingly.

He performed his handseals, and let loose another Chidori Nagashi, fully prepared to watch this fool writhe in pain.

"Tempest Eye Technique! Jutsu Reversal!" said Kenshin.

At once, Sasuke felt fire rage through him, tearing through his insides like a hook.

"What the?" gasped Sasuke.

"That's right. How does it feel to a thousand volts course through your body?" said Kenshin.

Sasuke writhed in pain, a cruel irony…

"Your blasted bloodline sent the one person I loved to her grave!" yelled Kenshin.

_What is he talking about?_ Thought Sasuke.

"Who're you t-talking about" Sasuke said through gritted teeth. Pain wracked his body in waves.

"In the future…25 years from now, your own cursed blood will rat me and my team out to the bad guys, resulting in the love of my life's death, and a bullet through my skull!!!" said Kenshin, rage evident in his eyes.

Sasuke could only shut his eyes, and grit his teeth in agony.

Kenshin slowly brought his blade to rest at Sasuke's temple. He could feel it's cold tip almost piercing his skin.

"I could save myself all that trouble by ending you and your curse forever…"

Sasuke had to act.

"Mangekyo Sharingan! Amaterasu!"

Black flames appeared on Kenshin's hand, and started to crawl toward his shoulder. Kenshin screamed in pain.

Sasuke felt the pain slowly ebb, and then vanished completely. He stood, and grabbed his sword from the ground.

"YOU BASTARD!" yelled Kenshin. The flames had reached his shoulder, and his arm was smoldering.

"I'll teach you to insult my bloodline!" spat Sasuke.

Kenshin felt that the flame would engulf him given the chance. He knew this, for he had seen this jutsu before, 25 years from now.

"Flame Capture! Ravenous Agni!"

Sasuke watched as the black flame was slowly sucked into the red blade, almost like it was eating it. He felt his strength slowly desert him.

"Cease Amaterasu! Agni will drain you of the fire till you run out of chakra, or when you're dead." said Kenshin.

At this, the black flame ceased, and vanished completely.

Sasuke stood, defeated, drained, but still standing. Kenshin, slightly burnt, mask removed, coat torn, walked over to him, and told him…

"Tell your kids, years from now, that Iori Hiryuu, is not someone to be fucked with."

Sasuke looked angrily at him, but nodded in reply.

"Good." And then, Kenshin decked him on the chin. He heard something break inside Sasuke's mouth. He hit the floor hard.

"Hope you're happy, Detective…" he said to no one in particular.


	12. Into The Dreaming

Into The Dreaming

Hinata woke from blackness to the sound of rustling leaves. A slight wind caressed her face. The scent of lavender tinged the air.

She opened her eyes, and found herself in a large field, filled with lavenders all around; making it look like a massive carpet was laid across the land.

A low carpet of fog covered the whole field. The moon, shining high in a starless night sky, gave the field a whitish glow.

She looked down on herself, and saw that she was covered by an off-white cloth, making it look like the very mists themselves covered her.

She stood up, and felt the sway of the lavenders against her shins. Her feet brushed against them, and their gentle sway served to calm her.

The wind continued to caress her skin and face. As she walked, she saw that a hill, probably the highest point in the field, she noted.

At the top of the hill, there was a tall tree, its long boughs covered with shining white leaves.

_Pieces of the moon,_ she mused.

And beside it, there was a figure, wearing a shroud that blended in seamlessly with the mist.

Hinata looked closer.

And for a moment, she saw a glint of gold.

Like the figure had a gold face.

_Kenshin… _

With that, Hinata started to run.

She ran toward the figure, for she knew who it was.

She reached the base of the hill, and then stopped.

The figure turned, and finally saw her.

"Hinata…"

He walked down to her, and when reached, he pressed his lips against hers. Her lips were warm.

He stopped, and looked at Hinata.

She was stunning in the white dress, blending in well with the mist, her black hair standing out from the grey mist, her eyes reflecting the moonlight.

He wrapped her in his arms and embraced her. Hinata returned the embrace.

He whispered into her ear…

"Hinata, I told you that even when I'm not there, in spirit I'll be there." He reassured.

He took off his mask, and once again she saw that handsome face, and those shining blue eyes…

She looked deep into those eyes, and felt once again that happiness fill her to the uttermost fibers of her being.

Kenshin felt overwhelming relief. He knew that somewhere in the cave, Hinata was still alive. He smiled.

Hinata smiled back. It was a smile of purest joy.

And then, they kissed again…

Sakura woke to the sound of splashing waves. A salty sea breeze softly passed her. Seagulls cawed somewhere above her.

She sat up. She was on a white sand beach, azure waves rolling in, crashing onto the shore. White surf lapped her feet.

The sun shone high in the sky. Sakura held up an arm to shield her eyes from the glare.

"If you're wondering where your prince is, he's not here." said a voice.

Sakura looked around, but there was no one with her.

"Look up, darlin'."

Sakura did as she was told, and saw a man, hovering about six feet in the air. He was in a reclining position, with a disinterested look in his gold eyes.

The man wore a long black cloak, it had a hood, but it was pulled back. His long blue-black hair was styled upward in a swoop, and his face had a rugged look of a veteran, even though he looked only about thirty-three.

This man, in short, was the weirdest man she had ever seen.

The man stood from his recline, and planted both feet on the ground. He brushed a hand through his hair, and looked at her with those piercing gold eyes.

"Let's keep this short, 'kay? Alright, Kenshin Arashi sent me to tell you something. Name's Aurelm by the way, darlin'." The man said, his words giving away a slight southern drawl.

"Okay, what is it?" she replied.

"He told me ta' tell you that him' and Naruto is comin' for the both of ya'…hear?"

"Both of who?"

"Kenshin Arashi and Naruto Uzumaki are trying to rescue you. You and his girlfriend, Hirako or Hirata or somethin'…" pondered Aurelm, his hand stroking an imaginary beard.

Sakura got it immediately.

"Hinata?!? You mean to say that Hinata is that Kenshin guy's _girlfriend_ now?"

"That's what I done did say, darlin'…" he replied.

"QUIT CALLING ME THAT!!!" roared Sakura, smoke blasting out of her ears.

"Okay! Sheesh!" said Aurelm, raising his palms up in defeat.

"women…" he muttered under his breath.

"What was that?!?"

"Nothing!"

Sakura was silent for a while, arms folded. Aurelm simply pulled out his revolvers and started twirling them.

"What was that bit, about my prince not being here?" she said all of a sudden, without turning to face him.

"Wha'? Ohh, that bit, I was talking about that black-haired kid with the sword, the guy that calls out snakes and crap, pretty cool. Though I've always wondered if he could pull a dinosaur out of there…" he said, a distracted look in his eyes.

"Who?" asked Sakura

Broken out of his reverie, he faced Sakura.

"That guy…uhh…Sakuse! Or was it Sakake…"

Sakura was getting fed up, but she felt that she already knew who it was…

"Why, why isn't he here?" she asked.

"It's simple, if two hearts love each other, they share an inner world. If you and Sakure were two such hearts, then he'd be here…"

Sakura was just silent.

"Weeelll… message delivered! Gotta' go now…bye." Aurelm smiled as he suddenly vanished, leaving only his wide grin.

Sakura stood there, on her beach, and watched the sun set. She had never been so sad in her life.

And then, she wept.

She wept into the sea, knowing that one more salty drop, would be insignificant…

In the cave, Zetsu felt guilty, Black Zetsu in particular.

But he also felt a twinge of anger building up to a crescendo.

White Zetsu was just pissed off at him

"Why did you put them to sleep?!?" he asked.

"it felt like the right thing to do…" he replied, his fist clenching.

"Sleep _slows down_ the poison, since blood doesn't circulate that quickly when you're in dreamland, idiot!"

"You don't have the right to tell me what to do! I gave you this power, and you start thinking it's yours?" replied BZ angrily.

"I MADE YOU THIS, YOU ARROGANT IDIOT! YOU WERE WEAK WHEN I FOUND YOU! ABSOLUTE SHIT FROM THE NINJA ACADEMY!" continued BZ, as WZ was simply speechless.

"Now quit bossing me around or I will leave you right here and now, and take my power with me!!!"

And with that, White Zetzu shut up.


	13. Passing Through

Passing Through

Naruto stepped over Jugo's unconscious form. He brushed himself off, and kept walking.

"Easy as pie…" he muttered to himself.

As he walked, he smelled the scent of ozone. And burnt meat.

He entered the next antechamber. He saw that the walls had black streaks covered the walls, and in the middle of the chamber, there he saw a prone form, clad in Akatsuki robes. A white light was shining down on the figure, bathing him in a white glow.

He looked closer, and at once, immediately knew who it was.

"Sasuke."

He walked over to him, and squatted down.

"What the hell happened to you?" he asked.

For a while, Sasuke was silent.

Naruto gave up, figuring him unconscious, and stood up to leave.

"You've got some friend over there." Sasuke suddenly muttered, so faint, you'd almost miss it.

"Wha-?"

"Your friend, the one with the mask. He's really something, that Kenshin guy." Replied Sasuke, a little louder this time.

Naruto was silent.

"I think he has more ninja skill than you…" he intoned.

Naruto moved closer to him, and gave him a sharp kick to the ribs.

He heard something crack.

"Aaggghhh!!!" yelled Sasuke.

"He may have more ninja skill than me, but I'm the one who's gonna be Hokage!"

He then left Sasuke, and kept walking, unknowingly following Kenshin's footsteps.

Kenshin wound up his shoulder, and tested for pain.

Nothing.

He looked at his previously burnt arm. No blemish scarred it, no sign of the 3rd degree burns earlier.

He smiled.

He put on his mask, and sat down.

He cast out his mind, and felt his way through.

And soon, he was in the Dreaming…

Naruto kept walking. He had walked for some time now, and his legs felt like he could leave them behind.

He then saw a light.

It hovered about a few feet in the air, and it illuminated a seated figure.

The light slowly moved from right to left, and as it did so, a golden shine was cast onto a wall.

"Kenshin."

He kept walking, and finally got to where he was sitting.

He was in a meditative state, by Naruto's observation.

He made attempted jab his two fingers into Kenshin's shoulder.

They never made it.

In an instant, Kenshin's hands flew out, wrapped themselves around his hand, and cast him onto the ground.

"OWWWW!!!" yelled Naruto, his howl of pain echoing through the cavern.

Kenshin looked like he broke out of a daze, then let go.

"Sorry, Naruto, I acted on instinct..." He apologized.

Naruto slowly stood, and rotated his arm. Kenshin found it amusing that only moments ago, he was doing the exact same thing.

"Next time, screw instinct and get to know a little thing called common sense." He muttered as he started brushing himself off.

They started to walk. They had made fair progress

But Pein was getting impatient.

End of Chapter


	14. Angel's Wrath

An Angel's Wrath

Naruto watched as Kenshin slowly changed the form of his knives. Agni's blade that had been a mere red, changed into a blood red color, its edge shimmering silver. Rudra also went through a metamorphosis, as its blade had become rectangular, and was comprised of only the edge, giving it a hollow appearance.

"Whoa…" breathed Naruto.

"How did you do that?"

Kenshin glanced at the blades, and simply said,

"They do that when they're excited…"

Pein paced the room back and forth, the distance devoured by his slow stride.

"May I ask, why do we go through all this trouble to capture the Nine-Tails, when we need the Eight-Tails to complete the statue? The statue would break if we tried to seal him now…" asked Pein to his companion.

Zetsu stepped out of the darkness, and answered,

"Who said anything about sealing him?"

Pein raised an eyebrow, slightly puzzled.

"What do you propose we do to him when we have him then?"

"We control him, making the hope of Konoha into its worst nightmare, and when we have the Eight-Tails, we snap him out of it, and tell him of his deeds. He would be so devastated, he would beg to be sealed." replied Zetsu.

Pein noticed that the black side's eye was twitching slightly.

Zetsu melted into the ground, and Pein was alone with the prisoners. He glanced over to the stone door.

He watched it, and waited.

_It won't be soon before long…_

Kenshin and Naruto had reached a massive stone door. He tried to push on the door, but it did not budge. Kenshin felt along its surface for a latch to open the door.

Naruto paced nervously behind him.

"How much time do we have left?"

"An hour and a half." replied Kenshin, almost a whisper.

Naruto ran a hand through his hair in frustration.

"Move!" he yelled.

Kenshin was shoved aside, and Naruto prepared a Rasengan.

"Are you crazy?!? You might compromise the structural stability of the cave!" yelled Kenshin.

"Huh?" said Naruto, uncomprehending.

"YOU MIGHT DESTROY THE FREAKIN' CAVE!!!" shouted Kenshin in response.

Naruto summoned a Shadow Clone, and had him shape the chakra.

"WE DON'T HAVE TIME FOR THIS!" replied Naruto, screaming as well.

The Rasengan fully formed, he rammed it straight into the door.

The door shuddered, and blew off its hinges and fell onto the cave floor with a cacophonous crash.

Kenshin walked through, and felt something under his foot. He glanced at it, and saw that it was a large silver latch.

Kenshin kicked it aside, and kept walking, Naruto close behind.

The two looked dead ahead, and saw a lone figure, clad in the Akatsuki robes. He stood in the gloom, in the center of the chamber.

It was a man, seven piercings on his lined and aged face. Two piercings on each cheek, two on his chin, and a bar pierced diagonally through his nose, his orange hair tied into a long ponytail.

It could only be one man.

"Pein…"

The man, the Human Path as he was called, finally saw his quarry. He said to the two…

"Welcome to your demise."

Kenshin strode forward, and said,

"WHERE IS SHE?!?" he yelled, hands gripping his knives even tighter.

Pein just smiled.

Kenshin rushed forward, and crossed his knives, scissors-style, underneath Pein's chin.

"Tell me where she is, or you'll have a weight taken off your shoulders!" He threatened.

Pein continued to smile, and said in a low voice…

"Shhh…you'll wake the dead with your racket." He muttered as he looked straight up.

Kenshin followed his gaze. Naruto looked up as well.

And then they saw them.

"You bastard…" breathed Kenshin.

The two girls were dangling high over a large chasm, invisible in the darkness. The drop would be fatal.

"Naruto…" said Pein "You must make a choice. You can only save one, for if you chose Hinata, Sakura will fall, and if you chose Sakura, Hinata will fall into the dark abyss…but we can let them both go.."

"How?" asked Naruto desperately.

"If you allow us to, indoctrinate you. To make you know the means to achieve peace. To become one of us."

Naruto watched helplessly as the Human Path pulled out two kunai.

"Make your decision, or I will simply cut them both, and watch them fall."

Kenshin gripped his knives tighter, and as Naruto observed, he seemed to be concentrating.

He sorely wished he had access to that leisure right now, for a moment to stop and think.

He barely caught Pein's next words as he was thinking.

"Time's running out, Genin. I'll count from one to ten, that'll give you enough time. When you don't have an answer yet, you will watch them fall."

"One…"

Naruto thought hard.

_If he saved Hinata, he would sacrifice a teammate. If he sacrificed Hinata, he could lose an ally, namely Kenshin..._

"Two…"

…_If he allowed himself to be another meat puppet for Pein, he would never be able to become Hokage, never be able to protect those that were dear to him…_

"Ten…" said Pein as he threw the twin Kunai at the wires holding the girls.

"Wait, no…Don't!!!" said Naruto.

Beside him, Kenshin made his move. He spun his knives, and threw them at the kunai, deflecting them effortlessly.

He then rushed at Pein, and socked him right on his chin, sending him reeling back.

"You dirty son of a…"

Kenshin didn't let up, and kept pounding Pein's face till his face was a bloody, broken mess. The hole that looked like his mouth was smiling.

"What're you laughing about?" asked Kenshin menacingly.

"Naruto was supposed to make the choice, not you."

Something grabbed Kenshin from behind, and had him in a bear hug. It was the Preta Path He felt his power ebbing out of him. Naruto was being beaten up by the Naraka Path and the Asura Path.

Pein stood up, and brushed himself off.

"You don't have the right to go against the will of a God." He said, ending his words by spitting out his teeth.

Kenshin saw blackness creeping at the edges of his vision. He also began to feel a rage bubbling deep inside him.

"Now, you will know Pain."

He pulled out another two kunai. Kenshin glanced over to his own knives, lying about three feet away, far beyond his reach.

"Shit…" he muttered breathlessly.

Pein threw them, and it cut the wires. Gravity took hold of the two girls, and they were sent into the abyss.

He looked up just as Hinata's pale face disappeared into the chasm, ebony hair flowing upward.

"NOOOO!!!"

Pein, in Preta Path, felt a massive surge of energy from the strange shinobi. It filled his arms, and suddenly, they blew up.

The impact blew Preta Path backward, and slammed him straight into a wall.

Kenshin, free of his captor due to the explosion of the latter's arms, ran straight at the chasm, and at its lip, he jumped off.

Pein, Human Path, simply sighed.

"One down, one to go…"

He approached the two others, Naraka and Asura, and they ceased.

Naruto was unconscious, but alive.

Pein in Naraka Path muttered,

"…These chakra-suppressing knuckledusters actually work."

The Asura Path, his face ever smiling, was only silent…

Kenshin unfurled his wings, and bent them back, making him more aerodynamic, speeding him up.

He reached Hinata first, and then went for Sakura…

The Naraka Path went over to the Preta Path, and carried him on his shoulder. The head Path, Deva Path, passed the two, and went over Naruto.

"We finally have the Nine-Tails." He said as he stood over Naruto's unconscious form.

Deva Path gave him a kick, convinced that he was unconscious, and not faking, he and the others left, leaving only the Human Path.

"We can pick him up later." Deva Path muttered.

"Watch him just in case."

Human Path sat down, and watched Naruto.

When the last path had finally left, Pein heard it.

A great heaving of wings…

From out of the chasm, he saw an angel rise, his four wings radiant, and his gilded mask aglow. He set the two girls down, and as Pein watched, he saw the two wings on his left side slowly vanish, and the ones on the right side began to grow darker, till they were shimmering ebony.

His mask's jawline slowly turned jagged, becoming into teeth, the wide collar of his jacket grow two sharp points resembling ears. His jacket grew three coattails. And his hands and feet grew segmented armor, his hands turning into claws, his shoes becoming boots, with talons protruding from the toe.

Pein watched as the angel, now a monster, breathed in deep, and let out a great roar, shaking the walls of the cave, resonating through the tunnels.

Kenshin grabbed the left edge of his mask, and shattered it, exposing the upper left side of his face, revealing an eye that had black sclera, a white iris, and in its middle, a black tempest.

"What are you?" breathed Pein.

"Now, you will know pain." The creature simply said.

It ran toward him on all fours, and proceeded to cut him up. He slashed him and ripped him.

"How dare you involve innocents!" he said as he ran his claws on Pein's chest.

"How dare endanger someone I love!" he said as he jammed his claws into his shoulder, and slammed him into a wall.

"This is unfair…" said Kenshin to no one in particular.

"If I'm gonna kill you, I'll do it with my own technique, and not by using the Tempest Wolf's power…"

He pulled out his fingers out of Pein's shoulders, and slowly reverted back.

He stood, and formed a Rasengan in both hands. He waited for Pein to get up.

As Pein stood, he saw the Rasengan in the angel's left hand slowly become conical, and clouds of grey formed around the Rasen Spike, and crawled up his arm, engulfing it in a storm cloud. Streaks of white lightning split the cloud, which had begun to resemble a lance.

The right hand Rasengan slowly turned grey, and it formed a translucent shuriken, its edges defined by lightning emanating from the Rasengan.

Pein breathed in deep, and accepted his fate.

He went into a battle pose, and prepared for the worst…

Naruto woke up, and saw as angel stood before him; with its back to him, facing Pein. He saw that he had a cloudy lance for a left arm, and in his right hand, was a technique he was familiar with.

_Rasenshuriken…_

"Prepare to die, Pein…" muttered Kenshin menacingly.

He rushed straight at Pein, and vanished.

Pein stood, wary of his surroundings, sensing for his opponent's chakra signature.

Suddenly, he felt a tornado blast out of his back.

_Impossible!_ He thought to himself.

"Tempest Lance!!!" roared Kenshin.

Pein felt himself pushed diagonally upward, zigzagging straight into the ceiling as Kenshin vanished and reappeared out of nowhere, striking him like lightning.

The tornadoes suddenly stopped, and he felt himself hanging in mid-air. It felt like he was floating.

Kenshin reappeared in the cave floor, and threw the Rasenshuriken.

"Eye of the Storm! Shuriken!" he said as he let go of the shuriken.

_Of course! _ thought Naruto.

_I could've thrown it!_

The shuriken flew upward, and grew in size as it approached Pein.

It struck him, and in an instant, Pein was vaporized.

His piercings and his forehead protector fell to the ground. Human Path was no more.

Kenshin let out a breath, and muttered…

"Summoning Jutsu, Divine Gate…Konoha." He said after he performed the handseals. After this, his hands dropped beside him.

He gazed into the gate, and saw that it was nighttime already, somewhere in the forest. He saw the gate a fair distance away.

He also saw a small spark of light, steadily growing. He kept the gate open, and just looked through it, resting…

He was so exhausted; he had never used his new skills so extensively. The missions he took a few weeks ago utilized skills taught to her by Hinata, things like the Shadow Clone Jutsu, and the Substitution jutsu, but the skills he used now were very new to him, techniques he had never used before, their power unfamiliar.

He rifled through his pockets, and pulled out two things: Detective Fedora's Deus Ex Machina, and a shiny red apple.

He placed the letter beside him; he pulled of his mask, or the remaining three-fourths of it, and placed it beside him as well.

He took a crunch out of the apple, and sat back. He closed his eyes, and ate.

He didn't notice the letter slowly, bit by bit, vanish into thin air, leaving only a scrap of paper, and on it was…

Good luck, kid…

Detective Fedora


	15. Dreamland

Dreamland

Hinata saw only darkness.

A darkness that seemed could be felt.

Then, she saw a light. It was a tiny light, but it seemed to be growing. As it came closer, she heard voices…

"Stay with me!"

The light wasn't a pinprick anymore; it had become a beacon in the dark ocean. And in its center, was something, but it was too far away to see.

"Stay with me!" the light said.

The light slowly spread out, and became wings. And within it, was someone she knew…

"Kenshin…" she whispered.

He was reaching out to her, his mask removed, and shining blue eyes looking right at her.

"Grab my hand!"

She reached out, and grasped his hand.

_This was no dream_, she thought.

Hinata saw little snippets after that.

She saw Kenshin battling Pein, and saw Pein utterly vaporized a few moments later…

She felt him carrying her, and felt the sensation of cold rush through her as she passed through the Divine Gate…

She heard him talking to her, but from the depths of sleep, it was hard to hear, hard to understand.

She tried to reply, but she couldn't speak.

So she slept…


	16. Epilogue

Epilogue

It had been one week since Konohamaru came across Kenshin and the others in the forest. He had pulled Moegi and Udon out of their beds to train, and as they groggily made their way through the forest, and found them asleep on the forest floor, only Kenshin was awake, watching over them.

He told them to get some medical-nin into the forest, since Sakura and Hinata had poison in them, and they had only 45 minutes to live if they didn't get an antidote.

He had pulled out two vials of their blood, and gave it to them. He had told them to run…

WARD 6

And so, today, Konohamaru visited them, and saw, as usual, that Kenshin was beside Hinata's bed. He had never left her since she and Sakura was admitted into the hospital. He sat there, reading a book. Konohamaru noted its orange cover, with the man and the lady chasing each other.

Make-out Paradise.

Konohamaru almost smiled when he saw Kenshin reading it rather intently.

But he didn't care about that; he was here to visit Naruto.

He made his way over to the last bed in the room, next to Sakura. She was still out, but Naruto was wide awake. He was staring out of the window, his face swathed in bandages.

"Hey boss!" said Konohamaru.

Naruto turned to him and smiled.

"Hey Konohamaru!" he greeted.

"How's Sakura?" Konohamaru asked.

Naruto glanced over to the adjacent bed, and saw Sakura's sleeping form. It was not a sleep aided by the sleep gas, it was natural sleep.

"They say that the antidote was introduced into their bloodstream right on time, or they would have died…"

Konohamaru nodded, and then said,

"So what happened to you?"

Naruto touched his face gingerly, and said,

"I got beat up."

Konohamaru did not attempt to hide the look of surprise on his face.

"You got beat up?!? YOU?!?" he asked, incredulous.

"They weren't any normal punches! It felt like my chakra was being stopped. I couldn't perform any jutsu…" Naruto reasoned.

Konohamaru nodded, and sat down. He then remembered his gift…

"Hey boss, I brought you some ramen!" he said with a grin. He presented a bowl wrapped in plastic. A note was taped on it said,

Get well soon, number one customer!  
Ichiraku Ramen

"When they heard that you were in the hospital, They made this for you, and I volunteered to take it to you!"

Naruto's face lightened up, and he said…

"GImme!"

11:23 AM

Hinata walked out of the hospital, her footing slightly unstable. The poison had affected her extremities, but her stay at the hospital had alleviated the damage somewhat. Within a few days, the doctor had told Kenshin, that the effects would be gone.

She had her hand on his shoulder should her footing betray her.

"Hey Kenshin…" said Hinata.

"Yeah?"

"I was wondering, aren't you angels pure and holy?" asked Hinata.

Kenshin gave the question some thought, and replied…

"Yeah, that's the idea."

"Then why is it that you were reading Make-Out Paradise?" she asked, her eyebrow rose slightly.

"I forgot to tell you that I'm only a half-angel, not really a full-blown angel. I was created, those guys just popped into existence." He explained.

Hinata nodded, and kept walking.

They finally arrived at the Hyuuga House.

Hinata noticed a dusty box of cinnamon buns left on the front door.

"Were those for me?" she asked.

Kenshin picked them up, dusted them off, and checked the contents. Few of them were still fresh, while the others were completely spoiled.

Kenshin ran a hand through his hair in frustration. He had forgotten to get these from the porch. He had spent most of his days at the hospital.

"I swear those were fresh when I got 'em…" he said.

Hinata giggled, and said…

"It's okay, it's the thought that counts…" she said, wrapping her arms around him.

Kenshin returned the embrace.

The two were interrupted when someone opened the door.

As the door opened, Hanabi Hyuuga, Hinata's younger sister stood in the doorway, watching her sister hugging a guy she had never seen before.

She arrived to one conclusion.

"It's not what you think!" said Hinata, blushing. She broke off from Kenshin after seeing Hanabi.

Hanabi only stood there, a huge smile on her face.

She suddenly ran off into the house, screaming…

"HINATA'S GOT A BOYFRIEND! HINATA'S GOT A BOYFRIEND!"

Hinata stood in the doorframe, her cheeks red with embarrassment. She could still hear Hanabi's yells throughout the house.

She turned to Kenshin for support, but he was gone.

"Kenshin?"

She suddenly heard footsteps approaching, and she saw her father, Hiashi Hyuuga.

"Hinata, you're out early." He said.

Hinata looked at her toes for some backup, waiting for the dreaded question to come up…

"So, where's this…'boyfriend'?" he asked, ending Hinata's wait. He looked around, expecting this boyfriend to appear out of thin air.

Kenshin almost did that. He had looked for a trash can, and threw the spoiled buns in. He heard Hanabi screaming in the house, and went back to Hinata.

Hiashi Hyuuga was surprised when he saw Kenshin.

"You're that young man at the hospital, the one with the mask." He said, remembering Kenshin from his visits to his daughter.

"Yeah, that's me!" Kenshin replied cheerfully.

"You're her boyfriend?" a questioning tone unmistakable in Hiashi's voice.

"Yeah."

Hiashi looked like he was trying to accept this fact as his hand went to his temples.

Hinata waited for her father's disapproval.

"If you're my daughter's choice, then I shall not go against it." He suddenly said, a small smile crossing his face.

Hinata's face lit up, and she gave her father a tight hug. She was so sure she would hear a stern no.

"Thank you, dad."

After Hiashi had gone back into the house, Hinata turned to Kenshin, and he noted the smile on her face.

He couldn't help smiling too.

"You know, since my dad gave his OK, you should have lunch with us. After all, you did walk me home." She said as she entered.

Kenshin thought about it, and she pulled him in.

Akatsuki Base

"We're not using the knuckledusters."

Madara looked up, his face shrouded in darkness.

"Why? They were effective, weren't they?" he asked.

Pein massaged his knuckles.

"They apparently needed the user's own chakra to suppress outside chakra…A small tidbit you didn't care to tell me about…" he said angrily.

Madara rolled his eyes, and his chin resting in his hand.

"I figured that you had so much chakra, you wouldn't even notice…"

Pein pulled out the knuckledusters and threw them at his feet.

"I won't need them."

11:23 PM

Cliffside

Kenshin had waited for Hinata lace up her shoes. They had run through the forest, and had finally reached the cliff.

The stars were shining bright above them. Even on this high cliff, they were still out of reach.

"Ready?" asked Kenshin, who was lying down stargazing.

"Yes, Kenshin, I am." She replied.

Kenshin leapt up and wrapped his arms around her. He moved closer to the cliff lip, and when his feet stepped on air, he let gravity take hold of them.

As they fell, Hinata felt terror and excitement at the same time. She felt like she was floating.

Kenshin looked up, or looked down to the ground, and when he felt they could go no more, he unfurled his wings.

They stopped, and he sped off forward through the trees.

The treeline ended, and Hinata saw a wondrous sight.

She saw rolling indigo waves, on a light purple beach. The night colored all things in violet and black.

He kept flying, and Hinata's hand touched the white tops of the waves.

"Wow, it feels so good!"

Kenshin smiled.

"Remember this, Hinata, treasure this moment all your life, for what you have now, no one can ever take away."

He found a rocky outcropping, like a finger jutting out of the waves, and alighted gently.

He gave her a long kiss, and he felt the cool ocean breeze on his skin.

Hinata could smell the salty air, and she loved it.


End file.
